Jeremy Clarkson chased out of Argentina by angry mob after Falklands reference

Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson is in hot water again, this time being driven from Argentina by outraged Falklands war veterans.

The TV star was filming in Patagonia, Southern Argentina when they were stopped by Argentinian ex-soldiers, who took issue with his car’s ‘H982 FLK’ number plate – a possible reference to the 1982 Falklands war.

Clarkson’s in trouble again.

Clarkson and the Top Gear crew were pelted with stones by the angry mob and forced to flee their location, abandoning the Porsche 928, as well as a Lotus Esprit and a Ford Mustang, driven by May and Hammond.

It is understood a group of war veterans later invaded the cast and crew’s hotel lobby, demanding they leave. Police were called to expel the mob, but that didn’t stop Clarkson and co. checking out of the hotel in a hurry and travelling to Chile.

A receptionist at the five-star Arakur hotel is quoted as saying: “They were very tense moments. The war veterans were furious and shouting insults. Police had to remove them. Luckily things didn’t get too out of hand.

“They left the hotel just before 7.30pm. It was all very sudden and unexpected. They left by a serice door and in such a hurry that they even forgot a computer.”

Juan Manuel Romano, secretary of social development for Ushuaia in southern Tierra del Fuego province, said: “They have taken the decision to leave.”

The BBC has said the number plate had not been chosen deliberately and was purely coincidental.

Andy Wilman, executive producer, said: “Top Gear production purchased three cars for a forthcoming programme; to suggest that this car was either chosen for its number plate, or that an alternative number plate was substituted for the original is completely untrue.”

Jeremy Clarkson is no stranger to controversy. In May, he was chastised for using a racial slur, while in January, he apologised for tweeting a picture of himself onboard a plane, poking fun at the gay community.